San Francisco SPCA to Offer Free Spay/Neuter Procedures for All Pit Bulls during Entire Month of March

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

After performing more than 550 free spay and neuter surgeries for San Francisco’s cats and dogs in February, the San Francisco SPCA has declared March “Pit Fix Month” and will offer free spay/neuter procedures for the city’s pit bull and pit mix population. San Francisco residents can schedule appointments on a first-come, first-served basis with the SF SPCA’s Spay/Neuter Clinic.

“A core part of the SF SPCA’s mission is to prevent overpopulation and animal abandonment,” said Jennifer Scarlett, D.V.M., co-president of the SF SPCA. “Although the SF SPCA is a No-Kill shelter, the reality is that more than 60 percent of the dogs euthanized in San Francisco are pit bulls and pit mixes. With Pit Fix Month, we hope to reduce the number of pits that wind up in our shelters and raise awareness of the need for responsible pet guardianship.”

The SF SPCA expects to accommodate more than 150 free spay/neuter procedures for pit bulls during the month of March. The month-long program is a new expansion of “Pit Fix Week” from previous years, during which the SF SPCA offered free spay/neuter procedures as part of the national awareness week in March.

The state-of-the-art SF SPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic is part of the Leanne B. Roberts Animal Care Center, which opened in 2009. The clinic is on track to perform more than 9,000 spay/neuter surgeries this year and has helped lower the number of cats and dogs in San Francisco shelters by more than half since 1985. Spay and neuter procedures contribute to the overall health of animals, decrease overpopulation and save both the city and its residents the costs and repercussions of unwanted litters. The SF SPCA would not be able to make this offer available to the public without the generosity of its donors and the profits generated by the SF SPCA Veterinary Hospital at the Leanne B. Roberts Animal Care Center.

For San Francisco residents interested in scheduling a spay or neuter appointment for their pit bull or pit mix in March 2011, or to learn about terms and conditions of this offer, please call 415-554-3030 or visit http://www.sfspca.org/pit. To learn more about the SF SPCA and Pit Fix Month, please visit www.sfspca.org.